RWBY: Aftermath
by Nightwing2593
Summary: With the Grimm attack on Vale quelled, life slowly goes back to normal for Team RWBY. With Roman Torchwick imprisoned all that remains is to capture any remaining members of the White Fang. With school life and the upcoming combat tournament on the horizon will the huntresses in training crack under the pressure? Dedicated to the memory of Monty Oum.


**RWBY: Aftermath**

This fanfic is written in honor of the late great Monty Oum and is dedicated to his family both at home and the Rooster Teeth office and of course to the fans of a great artist who has entertained and inspired hundreds if not thousands of people with his work. Rest in peace Monty. May you find peace. We all miss you dearly.

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**Chapter 1**

Atop his office tower at Beacon Academy, Professor Ozpin accompanied by his trusted confidante Glynda Goodwitch watched as more and more airships from Atlas landed to deploy more troops to the ground to keep order after the recent attack on the city by the Creatures of Grimm. "As if Vale didn't have enough problems cleaning up after the attack!" Goodwitch scoffed disapprovingly at the sea of soldiers disembarking from their transports. "Now Ironwood has gone and deployed all his toy soldiers and for what simple security?"

"Now Glynda." Ozpin sighed as he took a sip from his coffee mug. "The Council placed the General in charge of city security. If they wish me to step down, than I will comply. But yes, that is far too many men just for simple security." As the nonchalant professor poured himself a new mug of coffee a notification blared from his desk indicating someone wished for access. "Come in." he said as he pressed a switch on his desk disengaging the lock on the door.

From the sliding door came a tall lanky man in a long tattered brown cloak with the hood up concealing his face, but the scythe strapped to his back easily confirmed his identity to the Beacon professors. "Qrow." Ozpin greeted with a nod. "It has been a while."

"Indeed it has Oz." Qrow replied cordially in a gravelly voice filled with experience and wisdom. "And Glynda you haven't changed a bit."

"Oh Qrow." Goodwitch deadpanned with good natured sarcasm as she strode towards the door. "Professor Ozpin, I'll be outside." When Goodwitch was gone, Ozpin took a long sip from his mug before glancing at Qrow questioningly. "What brings you here all the way from Signal? Surely you're not here to enjoy the Vytal Festival given recent events?"

"Too many rumors and not enough fact." Qrow replied taking a mug that Ozpin offered him and taking a sip. "I wanted to see the damage myself and see your insight in the situation."

Taking another long sip from his mug Ozpin looked back at Qrow with a small smile on his face. "If it is insight you want, perhaps you should ask your niece. After all it is thanks to her and her team that the damage wasn't as severe as it could have been."

"With your guidance and blessing no doubt?" Qrow chortled feeling proud of his two nieces and their role in averting the Grimm.

"I may have given them a little push forward, but the credit is theirs and theirs alone. And she is Summer's daughter."

"That she is Oz, that she is." After a moment of silence between the men, Qrow looked back to Ozpin. "Things aren't back to normal, not by long shot. The White Fang, the Dust robberies, the break-in at the CCT, even this 'random' Grimm attack as the Council is trying to cover up it up as is just the beginning of a much larger plot."

"Yes I know." Ozpin sighed gravelly. "Which is why preparing my students as the best Huntsmen and Huntresses is more important to me than ever despite the General's and the Council's thoughts to the contrary."

"Ironwood means well, but his over eagerness to end this will prove to be his undoing if he doesn't take the proper measures." Finishing his coffee, Qrow gently placed the mug down on Ozpin's desk. "I hate to leave so soon, but I need to hit the streets again. But, I do have a request. Don't let the girls know I'm here just yet. I'd rather not have my presence known for the moment until I've found new information."

"Very well." Ozpin agreed taking Qrow's discarded mug. "But Ruby is much smarter than she lets on perhaps the wiser course of action would be to reveal yourself."

"Perhaps..." Qrow sighed as he exited Ozpin's office and disappeared into the city below. 

"ACHOO!"

"You alright Sis?" Yang Xiao Long asked her younger sister Ruby as she awoke to a homework assignment covered in spittle. "Yeah." Ruby sniffled her red hood falling off her disheveled hair. "Someone must have been talking about me."

"Well maybe if you stopped falling asleep while doing your homework you wouldn't have that problem you dunce!" the snooty voice of Weiss Schnee huffed from the desk across Team RWBY's makeshift "bunk beds".

"But Weiss..." Ruby moaned. "The homework is so boring...I'd rather listen to Professor Port on repeated loop for twelve hours." Hearing such blasphemy only served to put Weiss in a less tolerable mood. "Boring?!" the heiress shrieked. "You heard Oobleck if we don't learn from history, we're doomed to repeat it! Right Blake?"

"Hm?" Blake Belladonna replied looking up from her book with a small fish bone sticking out of her mouth clearly not listening to Weiss's ranting about homework. "What was that?"

"Ugh! I might as well talk to the dog." Weiss grumbled giving up on her teammates' lack of dedication to their schoolwork and went back to her own studies.

As if on cue Ruby and Yang's pet corgi Zwei jumped onto Weiss's lap and wagged his tail causing the normally cold girls heart to melt. "You agwee with me wight? Oh yes you do! Yes you do!" Weiss cooed scratching the dog's belly completely forgetting about her homework in the process. "Who's cute little poochie? Who is? You are!"

"Why are you letting it jump all over you?" Blake asked sticking her head out from the top bunk above Ruby who was desperately trying to figure when the Faunus jumped up there from the floor across the room. Turning his head towards Blake, Zwei jumped down to the floor to the bunk beds and stood on his hind legs barking playfully at her earning him an a cat-like hiss.

"I'll catch you guys later." Yang sighed as she took down a punching bag she brought with her from her home in Patch and strode to the door.

In the few short hours since the Grimm attack, Yang has been far too docile and less eager. Such behavior worried Ruby who despite advice from Weiss to give her sister space, she could no longer deal with seeing the golden brawler in such a slump. "Yang, are you alright? You've been…quiet lately."

"Never better Little Sister!" Yang exclaimed half-heartedly for her that is. "I just need a little air that's all!"

"Okay..." Ruby replied not completely convinced of Yang's answer but knows that's as close to an answer as she'll get. Giving her sister one last big grin, Yang hoisted the bag over her shoulder and went out the door to clear her head.

"Yang…what is eating you so badly?" Ruby sighed as she shut the door wishing she knew what to do. 

With the roof clear, Yang set up her punching bad and did some warm up stretches. As her right arm stretched across her chest, thoughts of her battle with Roman Torchwick's associate Neopolitan began to fill her mind flaring her temper up. As she began her combat drills, the memories of that humiliating defeat continued to flash before her eyes. No matter how hard the brawler fought, her attacks were easily tossed aside by the parasol wielding mute. But what truly got to Yang was Neo's eyes those, taunting brown, no white or was it pink eyes. The very thought pushed Yang over the edge and her rage she threw a punch that broke the chain holding up the punching bag and sent it flying off the roof. Snapping out of it, Yang ran to the edge of the roof and looked down to see where the bag landed. To her relief no one was hurt but she did notice the shopkeeper of the "From Dust til Dawn" Dust shop on the ground shaking slightly at the sudden appearance of a falling punching bag.

"Sorry!" the blonde called out. "Are you alright?" Looking up towards the roof, the startled shop keep slowly nodded his head and quickly got back up and ran around the bag back into town presumably back to his shop

"Well, that was a little overboard. What did that poor punching bag do to you?"

Startled, Yang bumped her fists together and crouched into a brawler's stance ready to fight if she had to. "Who are you?!" Standing in front of Yang was a woman with long black hair in a short skirted black dress adorned in red plate armor. Covering her face was a stylized Grimm mask reminiscent of the masks worn by members of the White Fang.

"Easy." the mystery woman said with her hands up showing she had no intention to fight. "I'm just here to talk." Recognizing her savior, Yang backed down and crossed her arms no sure whether or not the woman could be trusted. "I'm listening."

"Not here." the woman replied. Turning her back to Yang she lifted her hand up and an ominous looking red and black vortex. "Follow me." Seeing this as the only way to get answers, Yang reluctantly agreed and followed the woman through the vortex and soon found herself standing in the fountain courtyard in front of the school. "Who are you?"

Taking off her mask, the mysterious woman revealed a beautiful youthful face and hair style that looked eerily similar Yang's with red eyes instead the former's vibrant purple. "Yang, we have a lot to talk about…" 

Walking down the cell bay of Vale's prison facility, General James Ironwood of Atlas soon found the cell he was looking for and motioned for the guards to open the door. Saluting in response the red and blue clad guards opened the door and the sneering visage of the notorious thief Roman Torchwick came into view. "Leave us." Ironwood ordered the guards as he entered the cell. When the guards left their post, Torchwick turned his head towards the General ready for the interrogation to come.

"I have been informed, that you have refused to cooperate with the authorites." Ironwood said keeping eye contacted with the slippery criminal. Torchwick of course didn't miss a beat. "I know this might be hard to believe General, but uh I'm not the biggest fan of local law enforcement."

"Oh?" Ironwood replied with slight amusement. "How about the world's strongest military power?"

"Hm…" Torchwick pretended to think. "First impression…not great."

"I'm going to give you one chance." the general sighed getting a little annoyed. "Who is _really _behind all this?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Torchwick asked prompting a raised eyebrow from Ironwood. "You're looking at him."

"Very well then." Ironwood chuckled leaving the cell and relocking the door. "What's the matter General?" Torchwick taunted. "I thought you wanted to talk."

"The Council has given me custody of you for as long as I see fit." Ironwood said with an air of superiority. "So make yourself comfortable. I assure you will have plenty of time to…talk."

"Oh wonderful…"

With Ironwood gone Torchwood began to put his feet up to relax when the power inside the cell bay briefly went out and back on. "What the? Jeez, these federal building have such awful wiring don't they?" Torchwick chirped sarcastically. Suddenly, right as Torchwick got comfortable a cold familiar voice drawled through the cell bay filling the thief with a mixture of fear and dread.

"Hello Roman."

Standing in front of the door of Torchwick's cell was Cinder Fall the true mastermind behind the Dust robberies in Vale and the subsequent Grimm attack. However instead of her trademark red dress the sly vixen instead wore a black sleeveless jumpsuit and a matching pair of glass heels. Accompanying her much to Torchwick's annoyance was Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black.

"How the mighty have fallen." Emerald taunted with a spiteful sneer. As the green haired theif predicted, the jailed man began to spit back. "Listen you little bi-"

"Silence!" Cinder hissed causing the arguing pair to wince. "Emerald, did I not specifically ask you to keep quiet when we made our infiltration?"

"Y-yes ma'am." Emerald stammered to Mercury's amusement. "It won't happen again…"

"Good." Cinder replied with a little tenderness in her tone before going back to business. "Now then, I assume you followed your orders if something like this occurred Roman?"

"Hmph! These nitwits got nothing out of me." Torchwick smirked "As far as they are concerned all the robberies, the missing military tech, and the Grimm were all part of my little 'business venture' with the White Fang."

"Excellent." Cinder replied hiding the glee she felt that everything was going according to plan. "Now this means we begin Phase Three."

"In that case, when do I start?" Torchwick asked fully expecting to be released from confinement only to be met with one of Cinder's creepy and sickeningly mocking smiles.

"Oh Roman." she cooed stroking his cheek with her fingertips. "Try to have some patience. The time for you to be free isn't here yet."

"What?!" Torchwick exclaimed with outrage. "After everything I did to get you this far!"

"Didn't I tell you Roman?" Cinder whispered dangerously her eyes glowing fiery orange. You will know what you need to know when you need to know it." Freezing in fear, Torchwick knew if he tried to say anything further he'd be killed in an instant so he quickly decided to go along with what Cinder said much to her amusement.

"All and all." Cinder said on the rooftop of the prison changed back into her red dress. "I'd call today a success."

"Those stupid kids made a mess of things." Emerald replied shaking her head wishing she could have stepped in without risking her cover. Sighing, Mercury spoke up wondering what their next move will be. "Yeah, a lot of Faunus didn't make it out of the tunnels though. Do you still think the White Fang will listen to us after all this?"

"No." a cold voice whispered prompting the trio to turn in that direction. Before them was someone Cinder didn't want to send in unless absolutely necessary, but given recent events she had little choice in the matter. Holding his sheathed blade in his hand Adam Taurus of the White Fang decided now was the time to offer his services. "But they will listen to me…"

_(Cue "Time to Say Goodbye" by Jeff Williams)_

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**Disclaimer:** All events and characters are the property of Rooster Teeth and the brilliant mind of Monty Oum.


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